Monday is here and another weekend passed by a little too fast. Our weekend was full of family fun from start to finish! We did a whole lot of nothing on Friday night in preparation for what we figured would be a pretty horrific night ahead sleep-wise.
At the urging of our pediatrician, Ryan and I felt compelled to try to help Chase get closer to sleeping through the night. Up until this point, we hadn’t really done anything in terms of sleep training and I was still regularly getting up to nurse Chase two (okay, often three) times a night. Our pediatrician told me that even though Chase is small, he’s at a healthy weight for a six-month-old, and was likely nursing during the night out of habit. And so our adventures in sleep training began on Friday… And it went so much better than expected!
I could easily write a whole post about our first sleep training experience, but I’m not sure if it would interest many of you guys out there. I didn’t want baby sleep to take over this weekend recap even though it definitely was the biggest part of our weekend, so just let let me know if you’d like to see a post with more details about our first baby sleep training adventure in the future and I’ll happily share.
Though baby sleep stuff was on the forefront of our minds on Friday night, Ryan and I managed to have a laidback night together after Chase went to sleep. We watched New Girl on NetFlix while sipping on homemade hot cocoa and eating a bunch of the fruit (and all the chocolate-covered strawberries) off the delicious fruit bouquet Ryan sent to the house for me as an early Valentine’s Day present.
Saturday
Saturday morning began with a little meal planning. I had a teeny tiny helper to aid in my meal planning for the week and even though we ordered another Blue Apron to be delivered at the end of this week, I still wanted to plan out our meals through Thursday.
(Side note: I am SO glad Clean Eating Magazine is back! I missed it so much when it went out of publication a few years ago and am psyched to see it available again. I jumped at the chance to re-subscribe and love the simplicity of the healthy recipes featured in the magazine.)
Here’s a peek at our meal plan this week:
- Monday: Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers
- Tuesday: Whole Roasted Chicken with Carrots, Onions, Celery and Sweet Potatoes
- Wednesday: Black Bean and Edamame Stir Fry Slaw with Sriracha Peanut Vinaigrette (<— planning to omit the chicken and use black beans instead)
- Thursday: Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken
- Friday: Blue Apron Delivery
Once we were done meal planning, I read some books with Chase before he was ready for a nap and Ryan was done with his workout. Then it was off to boot camp where I completed a full-body workout that began with an awesome warm up that had us completing 25, then 20, 15, 10 and 5 reps of the following exercises:
I loved this one! I made sure to snap a picture to save in my phone to use it for one of my at-home workouts in the future.
Once my workout was done, it was time to head home, nurse Chase and shower before our day date! After a little baby-related hiatus, Ryan and I decided it was time to bring back our monthly date night tradition at the start of the year and since February was my month, I planned a fun family adventure for Saturday afternoon.
The three of us piled into my car and drove Uptown to Discovery Place to visit Body Worlds, an exhibition featuring more than 100 plastinates – real human specimens preserved through Dr. von Hagens’ Plastination process – that reveal the human body in all its stages and varying health conditions. To say this exhibition is interesting is a severe understatement, especially if you have any interest in the human body. It was educational, thought-provoking and eye-opening and Ryan and I both said it was well worth a visit.
Admission to the Body Worlds exhibition included tickets to Discovery Place which ended up being a lot of fun for Chase!
Though he’s definitely still too young to really experience Discovery Place and the interactive exhibits, we walked through the museum with him in our arms and got a kick out of the wide-eyed look on his face and his desire to reach out and touch some of the things on display.
Ryan and I both said we can’t wait to bring him back when he’s old enough to run around and really experience everything Discovery Place has to offer… like astronaut ice cream!
Sweater: French Connection via RueLaLa // Jacket: Cole Haan via RueLaLa // Tunic: White Plum // Leggings: Lululemon // Over-the-Knee Boots: Breckelle’s (I have the gray pair but they have lots of colors) // Beanie: Tart Collections via Stitch Fix
After our time at the museum, we walked a few blocks to 7th Street Public Market, an indoor market featuring delicious food and drinks from local and regional farmers and artisans.
We popped in for hot beverages from Not Just Coffee and I ordered a vanilla sugar almond milk latte that was creamy and perfectly sweet. I loved every sip and Ryan raved about his ginger chai latte as well.
Oh and for those who asked me to report back on the Ju Ju Be diaper bag backpack I bought last weekend, all I can say is that I LOVE IT. This thing is the BEST. It has SO many pockets (and a shoulder strap if a backpack isn’t your thing) and I am kicking myself for waiting to buy it until after my trip to Denver. There are so many compartments and it’s also very comfortable to wear.
Anyway… Back to our date!!
With hot beverages in hand, we headed out and made the chilly walk back to our car since Chase was telling us it was time to wrap up our little adventure. We spent the rest of our Saturday around the house, leaving only to pick up The Scorch Trials on RedBox (and ice cream and popcorn from Publix to enjoy with our movie). Though Ryan and I are both big-time fans of The Maze Runner series (<— highly recommended if you liked Divergent!), we didn’t care for the movie interpretation of the second book at all and ended up turning it off halfway through.
Saturday night marked Night Two of our baby sleep training adventure and it also went better than expected. Progress, my friends!!!
Sunday
Our Sunday began around 7 a.m. when Chase started stirring in his crib and I headed in to feed our little guy. He greeted me with big gummy smiles and I wished him a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
After breakfast, Ryan headed off to the gym right as Chase was going down for his morning nap. The timing ended up working out perfectly for my Valentine’s Day plan and I quickly got to work decorating Ryan’s bathroom mirror with a post-it note heart featuring little notes that highlighted some of the things I love most about him.
Yep, we’re super cheesy around here and I love it. Embrace the cheesiness!
I also ended up cleaning our bathroom which, if I were Ryan, would probably excite me even more than the post-it note heart.
Aaand I’ve officially reached the stage in my life where I’d prefer to have someone clean my house over giving me little gifts. I’m the coolest.
When Ryan arrived home from the gym and Chase was up from his nap, it was time for our annual Valentine’s Day mission!
Every year we head out of the house at the same time and divide up for two(ish) hours. We have a $20 budget and must pick up some special treats for the other person within the $20 budget. It’s so much fun and we both really look forward to it every year!
In the end we both went a little over budget this year, but we ended up with some great little gifts for each other.
I picked up the following goodies for Ryan:
- A book all about the National Parks of the West (A handful of National Parks are on our travel bucket list!)
- Pentatonix CD (We share an intense love for this group!)
- Ryan’s favorite picture of Chase framed for him to take to work
- Balance Bars + Gu Energy Gel for pre- and post-workout fuel
And Ryan ended up giving me the following treats:
- Oversized sweatpants (I’ve been wanting a pair of oversized sweats for a while now since I fear my favorite pair of Reebok sweats are on their last leg…)
- EOS Honeydew lip balm (My fav)
- Krave Beef Jerky (My current grab-and-go snack obsession… There were three packs but I ate the black cherry barbeque one on the spot.)
Not too shabby!
We always love celebrating Valentine’s Day with our annual Valentine’s Day mission tradition. Ryan actually came up with the idea when we were in college and we’ve been doing it ever since. It takes some of the pressure off the holiday but still feels thoughtful and fun.
The rest of our Valentine’s Day centered around our Date Night In! Pizza, wine and a movie in our pajamas. Heck yes!
I hope you guys had a great weekend and a lovely Valentine’s Day, too! Enjoy your Monday, my friends!
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Definitely would love a post with your sleep training experience! Also love the meal plans I hope you continue to share those it helps when I’m stuck with coming up with new ideas!
So glad you like the meal plan feature! I’ll definitely continue to share more of them. They help keep me accountable, too! 🙂
I second both! Would love to hear about sleep training, and meal planning is always great thing to share.
Literally laughing out loud when you said you’d prefer someone to clean your house- me too! That’s what happens when you have a baby and time is limited – value shifts from gifts to thoughtful and helpful gestures. Glad sleep training is going well!
We did pizza at my grandparents with a bunch of my family last night! I love you fun $20 idea!
Would love to hear about sleep training as we are starting this week! Eek!!
When we were dating, my husband cleaned my whole apartment (I’m talking scrubbed out the fridge, too!) for Valentine’s Day and it was the best gift ever!
Love your Valentine’s tradition!! I would also love to hear about your sleep training experience. My husband and I are welcoming a baby girl in may. 🙂
I’m also having a baby girl in May:)
Hi Julie,
Long time lurker over here! My husband and I are probably a year away from kids, but many of my best friends are have 2-6 month olds. My friend was telling me about a book she SWEARS by called 12 by 12. The plan is to have them sleep thru the night by 12 wks. She heard about it from a friend who did it and had success. My friends daughter is 10 wks ( they started at 8 wks) and is like 85% of the way there!! She swears so much by it that our other friend w a 4 month old is starting it now ( on week 2). Maybe it’s worth a read?!? Good luck!!
Sounds like you guys had a great vday weekend- glad you still got to celebrate with the little man in the picture this year. What are crickets in your workout? I tried googling but the sport came up. Thanks 🙂
Would love to hear your about your sleep training. We are on night 7….still a few tears, but overall it went better than expected. And everyone is happier with a full nights sleep 🙂
Yes! A clean house is a great gift haha. Also that jerk is the best, yum 🙂
I always LOVED Discovery Place as a kid!!! (I grew up in Hickory). Chase will love it when he’s older!
Sounds like a great weekend 🙂
Would love to hear about sleep training!
I definitely want to hear all about sleep training! We also started with our baby a couple of weeks ago and so far so good! Some nights are better than others, like last night he decided to wake up several times!!! But overall he has been great! In case you are interested in what we do- basically when he wakes up at night we wait 3-5 mins- usually he stops fussing and falls right back down, if it goes on longer- then we asses the situation. When he is really upset he starts to kick his leg- that’s when he means business and we will go in to calm him down. Last night was strange bc he would wake up, we’d calm him down- then he stayed up playing happily in his crib for a while and eventually fall back asleep.
I really love hearing about the gifts you and Ryan get each other. I have no idea why my husband and I always feel like gifts need to be extravagant or nothing. Ie, this Valentine’s Day we just did dinner since we are trying to save money for a few vacations we have.
Would love to hear about your sleep training experience. It’s in the very near future for us…just waiting to talk to our pediatrician at his 6 month appointment today!
I would love to hear your sleep training experience(s) and advice!!
I’d like to hear more about the sleep training!
I love your over the knee boots! I can’t believe they are less than $50. I’ve been looking for a pair. Are they good quality? Comfortable? Do you wear them wear jeans and skirts?
Would love your sleep training ideas. My baby had the same due due date as yours (Aug 10th) he was late though. He will be 6 months on the 17th and I get up with him sadly 4-5 times a night still. Thanks for considering! ❤
I would love to hear what you did for sleep training. My little one is not a great sleeper. She was up 11 times the last couple nights, not sleeping for more than 90 minutes at a time. :/. She just turned 6 months on the 10 and just cut her first tooth so I’m not sure if that is what is causing all the wake ups.
I’m currently researching different sleep methods and would love to hear about your experiences sleep training.
Thanks!!
What a fun idea for presents! This year I bought my present (a new dress I wanted) and handed it to the Hubs and told him to give this to me instead of flowers and chocolate. We were both happy with the arrangement 🙂 haha
I LOVE that idea! We aren’t ones to get all crazy over Valentine’s Day, but it’s a nice way to do something fun and different.
Hi Julie, I’ve made the chicken, edamame, and sir fry slaw with the peanut vinaigrette twice in the last month. We all love it, even my three kids!!!! It’s acutally even good as a leftover the next day as the vinaigrette really soaks in!
Love your meal plan for the week. Keep them coming! I get so many good ideas fro you.
Such a great valentines mission! You guys are so cute.
Love the post it notes! Originally saw it on Instagram post from Heidi Powell, however I liked yours better.
Enjoyed your meal plan prep. Will look into the magazine. Just starting out in the kitchen and would love simple recipes. Going to use some of yours!
Love beef jerky! Wish we could get that brand here! The bouquet is such a cool idea as well! Love your outfit, especially the hat.
I would love to hear about sleep training Chase. We’ve slightly started with my 4-month old son, Decker, but would love great input on when he gets to be 6-months and we’ll have to take out night feedings all together.
Yes please share what you did as far as sleep training! I would love to know how you are planning exactly to drop a nighttime feeding also. My baby is almost 7 months old but sleeps in our bed and wakes to feed several times overnight… I can’t figure out how to make it stop!! Lol. She eats for like 2 minutes and falls back asleep, and doc says we can definitely drop a feeding … But didn’t clue me into how exactly to do that. Any help or suggestions or stories of success greatly appreciated!!
What a great weekend! I admire your commitment to continue life as normal with a baby. I am struggling with that with my 5 month old. We attempted sleep training a few weeks ago and it didn’t go well so I would love to hear your experience. Sleep or lack thereof can really affect you as a new parent. Looking forward to it. Have a great day 🙂
I would love to hear about your sleep training experience! I have a 15 months old that still struggles to sleep through the night. She loves to nurse and I am sure it is just a habit for her now!
Sounds like you guys had a fun weekend. We have a similar body exhibit here in Calgary that I really want to go to. I’m taking physiology this semester so it would be awesome to be able to relate what I’ve been learning.
I would love a post about sleep training!
Krave is so good! I love your Valentine’s Day tradition 🙂
Hi Julie! I’d love to hear about your sleep training experience. Is he sleeping better after a few nights of sleep training? I’m glad that it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. We have 8 month old twin girls who are also still waking up 2-3 times a night to eat and have never, ever slept through the night (ugh). We’re actually planning on night weaning/sleep training them starting THIS Friday, so would love to hear any tips or words of encouragement. I’ve literally read every. single. baby sleep book out there. I think we’re going to keep their 10pm feeding as a “dream feed” and the go cold turkey on each feeding after that (since they usually barely eat at their 1am/4am wake-ups), and do a “controlled crying” approach – going in to console every 10-15-20 minutes without feeding. I’m DREADING it, but something needs to change b/c I am EXHAUSTED and I know they need to be getting a full night of sleep.
That photo of chase holding the magazine totally cracked me up. At first I thought you were holding it but I was like man, Julie’s hands look so small! Took me a minute to see chase holding it sitting on your lap lol
Would love to hear about your sleep training experiences. We sleep trained to get my 5 month old to go to sleep on her own but I am still getting up to feed her at night. Wondering how it went with cutting that out. Glad you had a great weekend!
Please do a post on sleep training! My baby is almost 6 months old and I’m so anxious about sleep training her.
I love the Valentine’s Day mission idea.. I want to do that next year! I like celebrating Valentine’s Day but there’s no need for any extravagant gifts or anything for us so I love the $20 limit. Sounds like a fun weekend:)
Love this! Such a cute and simple tradition! Our Valentine’s Day tradition is a craft brewery crawl. A product of being in Denver (though we started it in Chicago) and me getting super awkward in overly romantic situations. But hey, it works out incredibly well for us year after year. 🙂
Love seeing Chase’s smile at the museum. Looks like you have a little learner on your hands!
Aw! What a fun Valentines tradition. My boyfriend and I did something very similar this year, but not on purpose. We usually don’t do much for the holiday, but I was being extra sentimental this year so we made a “thing” out of it. 🙂
Edible bouquets are my favorite!
Definitely making those stuffed peppers soon! And I love your Valentine’s Day tradition!
Sara | Lipstick, Lattes & Lunges
I would love to hear about sleeping training! My little guy just turned 7 months old and we’re still getting up at least twice during the night! Would love to hear how this worked for you so that I can hopefully try it too! 🙂
That is such an awesome Vday tradition!
Would love to read about baby sleep training! Also am enjoying the weekly meal plan, it gives me some new ideas.
My little girl is only 2 months old but would love to hear about your sleep training experience!! 🙂
Your weekends always sound so fun! That’s a cute Valentine’s Day tradition. This year my husband and I opted to order Blue Apron instead of going out for dinner and treated ourselves to Cold Stone ice cream. He usually buys me flowers but we decided to wait until spring and buy flowers we can plant outside our new house 🙂
Ditto on wanting to hear about sleep training!! Did you pick a particular method or book?
I love the bathroom mirror idea! So fun! I have been debating on watching New Girl, I’ll have to give it a go! 🙂
Looks like you had a great weekend! Your Valentine’s Day tradition is such a fun idea. Love the CD you got Ryan- Pentatonix is one of my favorite groups! Have a happy Monday 🙂
Sounds like a perfect weekend to me! I’ve been looking for an easy healthy recipe magazine so I’ll have to check know that one out! I know you’ve been giving it rave reviews in the past. I love your Valentine’s day idea! I think I say that every year though too, haha.